Systems and Methods for Generating Virtual Item Displays

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments enable virtual displays of an item, such as vehicle, to be generated. In an embodiment, a plurality of images of an item may be captured and annotation may be provided to one or more of the images. In an embodiment, the plurality of images may be displayed, and the transition between each of the plurality of images may be an animated process. In an embodiment, an item imaging system may comprise a structure including one or more cameras and one or more lights, and the item imaging system may be configured to automate at least a portion of the process for capturing the plurality of images of an item.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 14/161,254, entitled “Systems and Methods forGenerating Virtual Item Displays” filed Jan. 22, 2014 which claims thebenefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/755,384,entitled “Methods and Systems for Online Transactions” filed Jan. 22,2013, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/793,445, entitled “Methods andSystems for Online Transactions” filed Mar. 15, 2013, and U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/830,963, entitled “Methods and Systemsfor Online Transactions” filed Jun. 4, 2013. The entire contents of allfour applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Purchasing an item, such as a vehicle, may be time consuming andcomplex. Typically, a buyer must meet with a seller in person to inspectthe item, and only after the results of the in person inspection aresatisfactory to the buyer is the contract closed and does the buyer takepossession of the item. Often the results of the in person inspectionare non-satisfactory to the buyer resulting in lost time for both thebuyer and seller because the contract may not be closed.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments enablevirtual displays of an item, such as a vehicle, to be generated. In anembodiment, a plurality of images of an item may be captured andannotation may be provided to one or more of the images. In anembodiment, the plurality of images may be displayed, and the transitionbetween each of the plurality of images may be an animated process. Inan embodiment, an item imaging system may comprise a structure includingone or more cameras and one or more lights, and the item imaging systemmay be configured to automate at least a portion of the process forcapturing the plurality of images of an item.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitutepart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of theinvention, and together with the general description given above and thedetailed description given below, serve to explain the features of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is a communication system block diagram of a network suitable foruse with the various embodiments.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate views of a component block diagram of aroundhouse according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram illustrating an embodiment method forcontrolling a roundhouse to generate images of a vehicle.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate views of a component block diagram of a hotbox according to an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram illustrating an embodiment method forcapturing interior images of a vehicle.

FIG. 6 is an example screen shot of an annotator's interface accordingto an embodiment.

FIG. 7 is another example screen shot of an annotator's interfaceaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a process flow diagram illustrating an embodiment method foranimating a virtual display of a vehicle.

FIG. 9-20 are example screen shots of views of a web portal including avirtual display of a vehicle according to an embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a component block diagram of an example computing devicesuitable for use with the various embodiments.

FIG. 22 is a component block diagram of another example computing devicesuitable for use with the various embodiments.

FIG. 23 is a component block diagram of another example computing devicesuitable of use with the various embodiments.

FIG. 24 is a component block diagram of an example server suitable foruse with the various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The various embodiments will be described in detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.References made to particular examples and implementations are forillustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention or the claims.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other implementations.

As used herein, the term “computing device” is used to refer to any oneor all of desktop computers, cellular telephones, smart phones, personalor mobile multi-media players, personal data assistants (PDA's), laptopcomputers, tablet computers, smart books, retail terminals, palm-topcomputers, wireless electronic mail receivers, multimedia Internetenabled cellular telephones, wireless gaming controllers, and similarelectronic devices which include a programmable processor and memory andcircuitry for receiving user input and rendering data, such as webpages, images, etc.

The various embodiments are described herein using the term “server.”The term “server” is used to refer to any computing device capable offunctioning as a server, such as a master exchange server, web server,mail server, document server, or any other type of server. A server maybe a dedicated computing device or a computing device including a servermodule (e.g., running an application which may cause the computingdevice to operate as a server). A server module (e.g., serverapplication) may be a full function server module, or a light orsecondary server module (e.g., light or secondary server application)that is configured to provide synchronization services among the dynamicdatabases on computing devices. A light server or secondary server maybe a slimmed-down version of server-type functionality that can beimplemented on a computing device, such as a smart phone, therebyenabling it to function as an Internet server (e.g., an enterprisee-mail server) only to the extent necessary to provide the functionalitydescribed herein.

The systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments enablevirtual displays of an item, such as a vehicle, to be generated. In anembodiment, a plurality of images of an item may be captured andannotation may be provided to one or more of the images. In anembodiment, the plurality of images may be displayed, and the transitionbetween each of the plurality of images may be an animated process. Inan embodiment, an item imaging system may comprise a structure includingone or more cameras and one or more lights, and the item imaging systemmay be configured to automate at least a portion of the process forcapturing the plurality of images of an item.

In the various embodiments, an item imaging system (e.g., an imagecapture area or photo booth) may comprise a roundhouse and/or a hot box.As an example, the roundhouse may be a dome structure that has threecameras and fifty or more lights built around a vehicle turntable. Aroundhouse may be used to capture exterior photos of a vehicle. Asanother example, the hot box may be a structure that includes a vehiclelift and a panoramic camera mounted on an arm. A hot box may be used tocapture interior photos of a vehicle. In order to allow for repeatedphotography under uniform conditions in an efficient time table, the twophotography stations (i.e., the roundhouse and hot box) may be used inconjunction with one another to capture external and internal images ofan item, such as a vehicle. One or both of the roundhouse and hot boxmay be operated automatically, and may require only one operator perstation to initiate the photographic process at each station. One orboth the roundhouse and hot box may employ one or more cameras, severalmechanical devices, and complex lighting set ups. The automatedprocesses enabled by the roundhouse and/or the hot box may reduce thetime of capture for images of a vehicle from hours when done manuallywith current systems to minutes when utilizing the roundhouse and/or hotbox.

FIG. 1 illustrates a network system 100 suitable for use with thevarious embodiments. For ease of discussion, many of the embodiments arediscussed in relation to motor vehicles. However, the embodimentsdiscussed herein may be applied to any of a variety of items. Thenetwork system 100 may include multiple devices, such as a one or morebuyer computing device 102, one or more seller server 106, one or moreannotator computing device 104, and one or more item imaging system 108connected to a network, such as the Internet 112. As an example, thebuyer computing device 102 may be a laptop, tablet, desktop, smartphone,etc., operated by a buyer intending to shop for and/or purchase avehicle. The buyer computing device 102 may include a network interfaceenabling the buyer computing device 102 to establish a networkconnection 103, such as a wired or wireless connection via a routerand/or base station, to a network, such as the Internet 112.

The seller server 106 may be part of a financial and inventorymanagement system which may include a database 110 of seller information(e.g., seller records), inventory information, (e.g., seller inventoryrecords), and/or financial information (e.g., financing records), andthe seller server 106 may manage/update the information within thedatabase 110 and/or make the information from the database 110 availableto other devices as well as perform operations using the informationwithin the database 110 and provided from other devices. As an example,the seller server 106 may host a web portal accessible as a series ofweb pages enabling access to the database 110 and providing results ofoperations performed by the seller server 106. As a specific example,the seller server 106 may host a series of web pages enabling a buyercomputing device 102 to retrieve and render images of one or morevehicle for sale, thereby enabling an interactive tour of a virtualdisplay of the vehicle to be conducted by a buyer operating the buyercomputing device 102. The seller server 106 may include a networkinterface enabling the seller server 106 to establish a networkconnection 101, such as a wired or wireless connection via a routerand/or base station, to a network, such as the Internet 112.

The item imaging system 108 may be systems comprised of one or morecameras, lights, lifts, turntables, structures, processors, etc.,configured to generate one or more image of an item, such as a vehicle.As an example, the item imaging system 108 may be comprised of a seriesof structures, such as a Roundhouse and Hot Box, including cameras,lights, and processors, configured to generate images of the inside andoutside of a vehicle for use in generating a virtual display of thevehicle. The item imaging system 108 may include a network interfaceenabling the item imaging system 108 to establish a network connection107, such as a wired or wireless connection via a router and/or basestation, to a network, such as the Internet 112. The item imaging system108 may optionally include a connection 109 and/or a connection 113,such as wired and/or wireless connections, directly to the annotatorcomputing device 104 and/or the seller server 106.

The annotator computing device 104 may be a computing device, such as alaptop or desktop computer, enabling an operator, such as an employee ofa vehicle seller, to annotate images of vehicle. For example, the imagesmay be images of a vehicle generated by the item imaging system 108,received from the item imaging system 108 and/or the seller server 106.The annotator computing device 104 may include a network interfaceenabling the annotator computing device 104 to establish a networkconnection 105, such as a wired or wireless connection via a routerand/or base station, to a network, such as the Internet 112. Theannotator computing device 104 may optionally include a connection 111,such as a wired or wireless connection, directly to the seller server106. Via their respective network interfaces, respective networkconnections 101, 103, 105, and 107 to the network, such as the Internet112, and/or optionally via the connections 109, 11, and 113, the buyercomputing device 102, the seller server 106, the item imaging system108, and/or the annotator computing device 104 may exchange data witheach other.

In an embodiment, an item imaging system may include one or more imagecapture area or photo booth. For example, an item imaging system mayinclude two image capture areas, such as roundhouse and hot box.

In an embodiment, a roundhouse may comprise a structure, such as a domestructure, including one or more camera, such as three cameras, one ormore lights, such as fifty or more lights, and a vehicle turntable, suchas a twenty foot wide vehicle turntable. In an embodiment, the exteriorof a vehicle placed on the vehicle turntable may be photographed withinthe roundhouse by the one or more cameras to generate a plurality ofimages (i.e., exterior photos) of the vehicle. In an embodiment, theplurality of images (e.g., sixteen images) may be captured in a seriesof sequences automatically recorded and timed with the firing of thelights of the roundhouse and/or the movement of the vehicle turntable.

In an embodiment, the roundhouse may be a structure with a circular baseand conical or spherical ceiling. The roundhouse may be a completelyenclosed structure. The walls of the roundhouse may be curved and may bepainted a uniform white with a ring of grey at the base of the walls.The floor of the roundhouse may be composed of a mechanical turntable,which may also be painted grey. There may be a gap between the edge ofthe turntable and the outer wall of the roundhouse. The ring around theperimeter of the turntable formed by the gap between the turntable andthe outer wall may be filled with lighting equipment, none of which maybe directly visible to the cameras of the roundhouse. With regards tocameras, there may be any number of cameras, such as one, two, three,four, or more cameras. In a specific embodiment, there may be threecameras in the roundhouse. One camera may be positioned directly abovethe floor of the roundhouse, centered with the turntable to capture thetop view of the vehicle. A second camera may be set in the center of thewall and may be configured to record all eye level images. A thirdcamera may be set at an angle higher up on the ceiling between the firstcamera and the second camera. There may be one break in the lightingring and smooth surface of the interior wall. This break may be thesingle enter/exit point for the roundhouse.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate views of a roundhouse 200 according to anembodiment. FIG. 2A illustrates a side cutaway view of the roundhouse200, and FIG. 2B illustrates a top down cutaway view of the roundhouse200. In an embodiment, the roundhouse 200 may include, a dome ceiling203, a turntable 202, a series of one or more lights 204 a . . . n, andone or more camera, such as three cameras 206, 208, and 210.

In an embodiment, the turntable 202 may be a twenty foot diameterturntable configured to support up to 8,000 pounds. The turntable 202may be controlled by a controller 212, such as a programmable logiccontroller (PLC), connected to a roundhouse processor 214, which may beconnected to a roundhouse control terminal 216, for example a userinterface such as an 8.4 inch color thin film transistor (TFT) touchscreen with hand held remote. In an embodiment the roundhouse processor214 and control terminal 216 may be separate computing devices, or maybe the same computing device. While the turntable 202 may be capable ofbeing operated manually via the touch screen interface, the turntable202 may be configured to rotate automatically, for example in responseto commands from a roundhouse processor 214 configured to control theoverall operation of the roundhouse 200. Specifically, the turntable 202may be programmed to rotate once a full 360 degrees clockwise or once360 degrees counterclockwise followed by a 180 degree further rotationin the same direction. The speed of rotation may be variable to withinone revolution per minute (RPM). Physically the turntable 202 may be acircular surface set over a circular track with several wheels mountedon spacers. The turntable 202 may rotate around its main support, thecenter bearing, and may be powered by a motor operating a drive assemblywhich uses a large drive wheel to propel the turntable 202. There may bea reducer which may be used to slowly stop the table when one of theabove sequences is terminated as a way to mitigate the stress of suddenchanges in velocity. The motor, drive assembly, and reducer may beelectronically connected to the control panel and/or controller 212. Theturntable 202 may be painted in the same grey paint as the base portionof the wall, so that there may be a blending effect on the finalphotography.

Another key component to the roundhouse 200 may be the lighting design.The roundhouse may include a series of any number of lights 204 a-204 n.As an example, the roundhouse 200 may include fifty-seven separatelights. In an embodiment, all of the lights 204 a-204 n of theroundhouse may be Alien Bees model B 1600 lights from White Lightning.The roundhouse 200 may also include a series of additional lightingrelated equipment, such as reflectors (e.g., in light reflectors), flashtubes, lamps (e.g., a 150 watt modeling lamp), etc. In an embodiment,all of the lights 204 a-204 n in the roundhouse 200 may be locatedaround the perimeter of the turntable 202, hidden by a raised border 218that may lie between the turntable 202 and the outer wall/ceiling 203.The raised border 218 may be painted grey to match the turntable 202,while the outer wall 203 may be painted white. This raised border 218may ensure that the lights 204 a-204 n are not visible on thephotographs, because the raised boarder 218 surrounding the lights 204a-204 n may blend in with the floor in photographs.

In an embodiment, the series of lights 204 a-204 n may each be connectedto the processor 214, which may be configured to control the poweroutput of any of the series of lights 204 a-204 n. In an embodiment inwhich the series of lights 204 a-204 n may be comprised of fifty-sevenlights, each of the fifty seven lights may be assigned to one of fivecategories. A large portion of the lights, such as forty-six out of thefifty-seven lights, may serve as ring slaves (S) and may be evenlyspaced around the perimeter of the roundhouse. The ring slave lights mayall point at upward angles ranging from ten to thirty degrees toward theouter wall and away from the turntable. In this way the S group oflights may serve to create a ring of light around the turntable and maybe responsible for creating the ambient light which may reflect off thewhite walls to create an all around soft glow over the subject to bephotographed (i.e., the vehicle). In an embodiment, the ring slave (S)lights may be identified by a letter and a number. The letter maycorrespond to the side of the room that the light may rest at, L forleft and R for right. Each light may then be ordered from 1 to 24.Lights L5 and R6 may be excluded from this group as they may serve asthe Ring Sync lights (A). Two other lights, LB and RB, may be the SideAccent Lights (B) which rest between L10.5 and L11 and R9 and R10respectively. These lights may also use the reflectors to increase theirrange. Two more lights, LC and RC, may serve as the Front Accent Lights(C). LC may be located between L4 and L5 and is 44.75 inches from theouter wall the third greatest distance a light has from the wall. RC maybe located between R3 and R4 and is 45.5 inches from the wall. The onlyother light that may be farther may be RD, which may be the right-sidecomponent of the Front/Rear Accent Lights (D) and may be located behindR5. LD, the left side counterpart to RD, may be located between L15 andL16 and may be only 15.75 inches from the wall 203. All of the original57 lights, regardless of letter group designation or angle of tilt, maybe on 38 inch high stands. Additionally, there may be two additionallights, marked as #1 and #2 and are on 43-inch stands, at angles of 40degrees and 30 degrees respectively. These lights may also be part ofthe slaves and may be set together off of the ring slightly, oppositethe entryways 203 a and 218 a through the wall 203 and raised border218, respectively, into the interior of the roundhouse 200, each ofwhich may not have any lights in front of them to enable a vehicle 201to drive into and out of the roundhouse 200. The lighting configurationmay enable any vehicle 201 or other product that may be placed withinthe roundhouse 200, to be well lit without having to manually adjust thepositions, heights, angles, and/or power output of any of the series oflights 204 a-204 n. In an embodiment, to facilitate the lighting of thevehicle 201 the processor 214 may designate that only certain lightsfire for certain alignments of the turntable 202 and cameras 206, 208,and 210. In an embodiment, each category of light: S, A, B, C, and D;may only be fired by the processor 214 with respect to certain cameras206, 208, and/or 210 that may be taking a picture at a given moment.

In an embodiment, the roundhouse 200 may include any number of cameras,such as three cameras 206, 208, and 210. All three cameras 206, 208, and210 may be Nikon D800 digital SLR's. Each camera 206, 208, and 210 mayuse an AF-S Nikkon 24-70 mm f/2.8G ED lens. One camera 206 may bepositioned directly above the center of the turntable 206 facing downand may be known both as the Top Down camera and camera #1. Anothercamera 210 may be positioned parallel to the side wall directly acrossfrom the access doors 203 a and 218 a that may be utilized to allow eachvehicle 201 into and out of the roundhouse 200. In an embodiment, theremay be a section of the wall cut out to allow the camera 210, which maybe housed just behind the wall 203, a view out into the interior room ofthe roundhouse 200. Known both as the Hero Camera and camera #2, camera210 may approximate a person's eye level view. The remaining camera 208,which may be referred to as camera #3, may be positioned high on thewall 203 at an angle and may be used to capture images of a vehicle 201with all of its doors and other hatches open. This camera 208, which maybe referred to as the All Open camera as well, may be an idealcompromise between the top down camera 206 and the hero camera 210 whencapturing a wider shot of the vehicle 201, motivated in part by theextra volume a vehicle 201 may appear to take up when it has its doorsopen wide. Each camera 206, 208, and 210 may serve a particular purposeboth with regards to the movement of the turntable 200 and to the firingof certain lights of the series of lights 204 a-204 n. Each camera 206,208, and 210 may be connected to the processor 214 and may be controlledby the processor 214 to take photographs of the vehicle 201 as theseries of lights 204 a-204 n is fired and the turntable 202 is rotated.Each of the cameras 206, 208, and 210 may send their photographs takento the processor 214 for storage and/or transmission onto other devicesfor further processing.

In an embodiment, there may be two procedures that the turntable 200 maybe programmed to perform automatically in response to control signalsfrom the processor 214, each using its own combination of cameras 206,208, and/or 210, which in turn may relate to two different combinationsof the series of lights 204 a-204 n. The different procedures may becalled Event A and Event B and may be used for specific and differentphotographic purposes. Event A may be for capturing the exterior of thevehicle 201 with all doors closed. First, neither event may be activatedif the turntable 200 may not first be set at the home position, whichmay be done from the control terminal 216, such as a touch screen. Oncereset at the home position, or zero degrees, the operator may beginEvent A by selecting the event on the control terminal 216, such as byselecting a button of the labeled “Event A”. In response to theselection of Event A, the processor 214 may prompt cameras 206 and 210(the top down and hero cameras) to wake up and fire (i.e., take aphotograph). When the Top Down camera 206 fires, only lights designatedas S or D may be used. Then the Hero camera 210 may record an image ofthe front of the vehicle, using the A, B, and S lights. Then theturntable 200 may begin to rotate clockwise by a full 360 degrees. TheHero camera 210 may record 15 more images, as the turntable 200 passes15 specific positions. For example, camera 210 may record images at 22degrees, 44 degrees, 68 degrees, 90 degrees, 113 degrees, 136 degrees,158 degrees, 180 degrees, 202 degrees, 224 degrees, 247 degrees, 270degrees, 293 degrees, 316 degrees, and 338 degrees. The position at 360degrees may also be the position at 0 degrees, so there may be no needto record an image at 360 degrees. Event A may finish when the vehicle201/turntable 202 may return to their original positions.

Upon completion of Event A, the operator may walk into the roundhouse200 and open all of the doors, the hood, and the trunk/hatchback on thevehicle 201 and returns to the control area to initiate Event B. Event Bmay be initiated by the operator pushing a button, such as a buttonlabeled “Event B” on the control terminal 216. Event B may use the samepositions along the table's path to key the cameras to fire, except thatthe Hero camera 210 may be replaced with the All Open camera 208. Thismay mean that camera 206 may still fire first, but then camera 208 mayfire after camera 206. When this camera 208, the All Open camera, fires,the processor 214 may control lights A, B, S, and C discussed above tobe on. The camera 208 may then record an image for each of the next 15pre-set positions, except the turntable may be moving in acounterclockwise direction. The entire process, with the exception ofactually opening the doors and hatches on the vehicle, may be automatedand controlled by the processor 214. If for some reason there may be anerror or an emergency, the operator may stop the process at any pointand may also move the table manually in either direction or mayreprogram the positioning for any of the 15 photos using the controlterminal 216. Event B may include an additional step of rotating theturntable 202, for example, another 180 degrees, when the turntable 202finishes so that the vehicle 201 may be facing front side towards theaccess door to the roundhouse 200, for ease of exit. While discussed interms of two events and a series of 16 photos in each event, there maybe more or less events and more or less photos in each event. Forexample, the processor 214 may direct additional events and/or photos tobe undertaken if adjustments to photos and/or vehicle 201 positioningmay be needed.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment method 300 for controlling theroundhouse to generate images of a vehicle. In an embodiment, theoperations of method 300 may be performed by a processor of aroundhouse, such as processor 214 described above with reference toFIGS. 2A and 2B. In block 302 the roundhouse processor may receive anindication of a vehicle on the turntable of the roundhouse. In anembodiment, the indication of the vehicle on the turntable of theroundhouse may be an indication of vehicle information entered into acontrol terminal of the roundhouse related to a vehicle to be imaged,such as a vehicle identification number (VIN). The indication of avehicle on a turntable of the roundhouse may be an indication to theroundhouse processor that a new series of images is to be captured. Inblock 304 the roundhouse processor may receive a photographic eventstart indication. In an embodiment, a photographic event startindication may be a selection of an event, such as doors closedphotographs or doors open photographs, selected by an operator using acontrol terminal.

In determination block 306 the roundhouse processor may determinewhether the received photographic event start indication is associatedwith an all open event. If the indication is not associated with an allopen event (i.e., determination block 306=“No”), the vehicle on theturntable may be intended to be photographed with its doors and hatchesclosed, and the roundhouse processor may control the turntable, top downcamera, hero camera, and lights to capture a series of images of thevehicle with the doors and hatches closed. In block 312 the roundhouseprocessor may send the captured images of the vehicle to an annotatorcomputing device for further processing. In determination block 314 theroundhouse processor may determine whether all events for the vehiclehave been completed.

If all events for the vehicle have not been completed (i.e.,determination block 314=“No”), in block 304 the roundhouse processor mayreceive another photographic event start indication and in determinationblock 306 determine whether the event is an all open event. If the eventis an all open event (i.e., determination block 306=“Yes”), in block 310the roundhouse processor may control the turntable, top down camera, allopen camera, and lights to capture a series of images of the vehiclewith its doors and hatches open. In block 312 the roundhouse processormay send the captured images to the annotator computing device, and indetermination block 314 the roundhouse processor may determine whetherall event for the vehicle are completed. If all events are completed(i.e., determination block 314=“Yes”), in block 316 the roundhouseprocessor may rotate the turntable to enable vehicle removal, forexample by rotating the turntable to point the front of the vehicletowards an opening in the roundhouse so the vehicle may be driven out ofthe roundhouse.

In an embodiment, the roundhouse processor 214 described above withreference to FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 3, may be one or more processors workingin tandem, such as three personal computers, one for each camera, thatmay all linked to a central processor, such as a central Macintoshcomputer, which may also operates a dual partitioned hard drive. Each ofthe three Nikon camera's 206, 208, and 210 may be connected to a ToshibaSatellite R845585 Laptop via 3.0 Gigabyte Ethernet cables. Thesepersonal computers (PCs) may be needed to activate each camera 206, 208,and 210 when it is needed, based on the position of the turntable 200.Each computer may then send the recorded image to the virtual desktopstored within the divided hard drive on the central processor, such asthe Macintosh computer. This configuration may be necessary so that thevarious software packages operate well together on common operatingsystems as well as to connect to external servers and/or computingdevices, such as the annotator computing device, where a copy of eachimage(s) may be stored. In an embodiment, a copy of the image may bedisplayed to the operator of the roundhouse, for example on the controlterminal 216, which may be an Macintosh computer capable of photoediting via a photo editing applications, such as Photoshop. In aspecific example, the roundhouse processor 214 may be a mid 2010 modelMac Pro with a 2×2.66 GHz computer with a 6 Core Intel Xeon processor,48 GBs of memory with 1333 MHz DDR3 ECC and may uses a ATI Radeon HDgraphics processor. That machine may be connected to two 27 inch AppleLED Cinema Display computer monitors so that the roundhouse operator (orother photo technician) may examine and correct any errors on thephotographs taken by the cameras 206, 208, and/or 210. If an issue istoo severe to fix digitally, such as with a slight lightingdiscoloration, then new images may be taken. When the technicianapproves the images, the images may be sent to an external system, suchas the annotator computing device for use in an Exterior Spinner and/orVisual Annotation Application.

In an embodiment, fully simulating a digital, three-dimensional model ofa real vehicle on a two-dimensional plane may comprise detailing theinterior space as well as the exterior of the vehicle. Similar to theprocesses described above, the process to creating a virtual interiorfor a real vehicle may begin with photographing the actual interior ofthe vehicle. In an embodiment, photographing the interior of the vehiclemay be accomplished using a photographic imaging system (e.g., an imagecapture area or photo booth) referred to as a hot box. In an embodiment,a hot box may be a structure that includes a vehicle lift and apanoramic camera mounted on a robotic arm. A hot box may be used tocapture interior photos of a vehicle by extending the camera with therobotic arm in through a window of the vehicle to record a full panoramaof the interior. That image may then be sent/scanned into a remotecomputing device, such as an annotator computing device, for storage andphotographic adjustments. Then the image may be utilized in both aVisual Annotation Application as well as an Interior Spinnerapplication.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate views of a hot box 400 according to anembodiment. FIG. 4A illustrates a side cutaway view of the hot box 400,and FIG. 4B illustrates a top down cutaway view of the hot box 400 withthe arm 406 and camera 404 extended into the vehicle 201. In anembodiment, the hot box 400 may include a structure 401 comprised ofwalls and a ceiling, a lift 402, a series of one or more lights 410 a .. . n, an arm 406, and one or more camera, such as a panoramic camera404 mounted on the arm 406.

One issue with automating the photographic process with the interiorphoto capture booth, or hot box 400, may be accounting for thedifferences in vehicle 201 height. To solve this issue a rotary lift 402may be installed at the base of the hot box 400. In this manner, thecamera 404 and robotic apparatus, such as the arm 406, supporting thecamera 404 may be set at one height, while the vehicle 401 may be movedinto position vertically with the lift 402. As an example, theparticular lift 402 used by may be a model Y12, serviced by VSE ofGeorgia. The lift 402 may raise two sides of a vehicle 201 in parallelvia an equalization hydraulic system. The lift 402 may include built inlocks placed at certain heights as a safety feature that lift 402 may belowered to at any point. The camera 402 of the hot box 400 may beconnected to a hot box processor 412 which may be connected to a controlterminal 414. Optionally, the series of lights 410 a . . . n, arm 406,and lift 402 may be connected to the processor 412, but alternatively,the series of lights 410 a . . . n, aim 406, and lift 402 may not beautomatically controlled by the processor 412. In an embodiment, theprocessor 412 and the control terminal 414 may be separate devices orthe same computing device. As an example, the processor may be amid-2011 iMac computer built into a 27-inch display including a 3.4 GHzprocessor, Intel i7 Core with 8 GB of memory at 1333 MHz DDR3 with anAMD Radeon HD graphics card. The processor 412 and/or control terminal414 may be used for digital photo correction before the image may besent to both the annotator computing device and any other externalsystems. In an embodiment, each vehicle 201 may be lined up manually andraised to the required height manually using the light 402. In anembodiment, a “daylight” effect within the interior of the hot boxstructure 401 may be created the artificial lighting available to thehot box 400 provided by the series of lights 410 a . . . n.

The series of lights 410 a . . . n may be any number for lights. Forexample, the hot box may include 24 Nossan Nos-1200 DTD HMI lights with1200 Watts of power available per light. Hydrargyrum Medium-Arc Iodide(HMI) lights may be commonly used in film and television production andmay operate by generating an electrical arc between two electrodeswithin the bulb that excites pressurized mercury vapor. HMI lights maybe brighter and more efficient more traditional lighting technologies,such as the incandescent bulb. In a similar practice to that employed inthe roundhouse described above, the series of lights 410 a . . . n maybe positioned in a way so that the series of lights 410 a . . . n shineindirectly on the vehicle 201, reflecting off of white painted walls ofthe structure 401 to create a more natural, diffused lighting effect.The exact lighting levels may be adjusted to meet the needs ofindividual vehicles and there may be very little physical adjustmentthat needs to be made to optimize the lighting to capture an interiorphotograph. The hot box 400 may reduce processing time considerably,from a matter of hours to minutes.

The hot box 400 may include one or more camera, such as a panoramiccamera 404. For example, the camera 404 may be a Panoscan Mark 3 camerathat may be used to record a full panoramic image of the interior of thevehicle. In order to assist the camera 404 in recording within the tightconfines of vehicle interiors, the camera 404 may use an attachedfisheye lens to help expand its visual range. The Panoscan output may bein the form of a Mercator projection. Normally Mercator projects may bea method of transferring a spherical or elliptical image onto a flatsurface. The full 360 degree photo may be laid flat via the Mercatorprojection when stored on one of remote desktops, but it may also bestored such that the image may be re-interpreted as a three dimensionalimage later on by another system. The control arm 404 may be coupled tothe camera 404 and may be controlled by the processor 412 and/ormanually operated via a remote by the hot box operator. In anembodiment, unlike the roundhouse described above, the hot box operatormay personally align the camera 404 within each vehicle 201, afterleveling the vehicle 201 with the lift 402 first.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment method 500 for capturing interiorimages of a vehicle. In an embodiment, the operations of method 500 maybe performed by the processor of a hot box, such as hot box processor412 described above with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. In block 502 thehot box processor may receive an indication of a vehicle present on alight of the hot box. In an embodiment, the indication of the vehicle onthe lift of the hot box may be an indication of vehicle informationentered into a control terminal of the hot box related to a vehicle tobe imaged, such as a VIN. The indication of a vehicle on a lift of thehot box may be an indication to the hot box processor that a new seriesof images is to be captured.

In block 504 the hot box processor may receive a photographic eventstart indication. In an embodiment, a photographic event startindication may be an indication of a start button press event by anoperator of the hot box from a control terminal of the hot box. In block506 the hot box processor may control the panoramic camera to rotate tocapture images of the vehicle interior. In an embodiment, the panoramiccamera may be operated to rotate within the vehicle interior to generatea 360-degree panoramic image of the interior of the vehicle. In block508 the hot box processor may send the image generated by the camera toan annotator computing device for further processing.

In an aspect, once the roundhouse and hot box have performed a photocapture process, the recorded photographs may be saved, examined, andeventually sent to the next set of systems, such as a seller serverand/or annotator computing device described above, that may make up theoverall network to generate a virtual display of the vehicle.

In an embodiment, the images captured by the roundhouse and/or hot boxdescribed above may be used to generate virtual displays of the vehicleon a website hosted by a seller server. Custom animations may be createdfor when the customer decides to transition fromexterior-angle-doors-closed to exterior-angle-doors-open, or fromexterior to interior shots. The photographic recording process using theroundhouse and/or hot box may only be the first step in producing thefully realized virtual vehicles which appear on the website.

Every vehicle may have its own history and its own features, informationthat is not necessarily clear from a set of photographs. Thatinformation may need to be passed on to the customer. Traditional brickand mortar dealers may use window stickers to list most facts about aparticular vehicle. In an embodiment, a website hosted by a sellerserver may have its own digital version of a window sticker in the formof the details page on the website, which may convey all of thenecessary information to a customer. However, additional relevantdetails about the vehicle may be provided in a virtual display, such asthe Spinner feature described below. These features on the Spinner maybe known as annotations. The annotation system may allow vehicleinformation, specifications, and imperfections to be displayed on thedigital model. To do this annotations have to be assigned specificlocations on the vehicle for use on the website. These points forannotations, known as hot spots, may have to be manually entered, forexample using an annotator computing device. Part of the system is theconcept and function of the annotations themselves, information placedwithin the received photographs. Annotations may be assigned on top ofeach image through an automated process, before the final productimage/model may sent to the seller server for use in the seller'swebsite.

Annotation information may be developed on the vehicle storage site.Before a vehicle may be sent to the roundhouse and the hot box for photocapturing, two separate inspections may be performed by experiencedtechnicians. The first inspection may look for any mechanical damagewhile the second one may be purely focused on recording cosmetic issues.Information gained from the inspections may be compiled into aninformation packet with diagrams and notes that may be paired with thephotographs of the vehicle by the common identification stock number orVIN number. However the information as it is recorded in the packet maynot be ready to be immediately translated into the virtual world as hotspot annotations. When a new vehicle is recorded and needs to beannotated it may be the job of a certain individual, an annotator, totranslate the information recorded from both inspections in one documentinto multiple annotations, each one requiring placement on or within thevirtual display of the vehicle generated from the images captured in theroundhouse and/or hot box.

Annotation via hot spots may allow the customer to view and learn aboutpoints of interest on the vehicle from the digital representation of theactual vehicle as opposed to just reading about the vehicle. However,new hot spots, without aid, may have to be manually placed onto everytwo-dimensional image of the vehicle so together the hot spots appear asone consistent point in the final model. Every annotation that is mademay be given a hot spot, which may be assigned a coordinate location ona Cartesian two dimensional plane, as well as an Angle measure. TheAngle measure may relate to the angle of the vehicle to the camera, orin other words the particular frame where the annotation may be visible.If the annotation is visible from multiple angles, then for each frame ahot spot may be assigned a specific position along the horizontal andvertical axis of the image in units of image pixels. For exteriorannotations which may be highly visible, it may become a tedious andinefficient practice to record several different hot spots on severaldifferent angles, all to relate back to one annotation. Therefore, in anembodiment, a visually based application may be employed which, aided byan interactive system or tool, automatically populates a location forevery angle the annotation may be visible in, all based on one singleinput, allowing for each annotation to be added to the vehicle quicklyand accurately.

In an embodiment, the annotations may be entered into the virtualdisplay (or model) of the vehicle by an annotator operating an annotatorcomputing device running a visual annotation application. The annotatorcomputing device may receive the images generated by the roundhouseand/or hot box as well as data files associated with any inspections ofthe vehicle. The Visual Annotation Application may facilitate thecreation of annotations, with automated placement from a single input,and may transfer that data to the digital model of the vehicle. Theentire process may begin with the information that may compose eachannotation. The two inspections performed on the vehicle by experiencedpersonnel, may be the main source of that information. The inspectorsmay use diagrams and make notes to record vehicle features such asinformation about the drivetrain, the engine, and the transmission; aswell as any mechanical or surface level damages. All of this data may beinputted onto digital templates which may then be separated by categoryand location on the vehicle to create information textboxes thatdescribe one individual feature, set of related features, and/or animperfection. Each hot spot may be composed of an informational textboxthat may then be given a physical location on the vehicle. A textbox maysimply be a space to hold textual information. It may be left to thejudgment of the annotator as to what information must be manuallytransferred from the template to any number of necessary text boxes. Thetypes of annotations may be separated by the appearance and color oftheir hot spot icons which may mark its position on the model. Features,such as vehicle warranty, wheel material, or physical dimensions may begiven a certain color code and icon, while imperfections may be givenanother color and icon. Imperfections may be explained via astandardized scale which informs about the severity of the damage on thevehicle. Features may on the other hand be explained in more granulardetail. Those differences may be a result of the business practice,however, and not from the design of the system. Regardless of the typeof annotation, once a textbox has been created, it may be ready to beassigned a location on the final model.

The mechanics of the virtual display of the vehicle may require thatevery hot spot may be composed of a coordinate location and an anglemeasurement. If an annotation requires having a hot spot across multipleangles, it may in fact have several unique hot spots, such as one perangle. The Visualization Annotation Application may fill in all of thoseseparate hot spots for the system based on one location input, mostlybecause it may use a similar flash application as the one which drivesthe Spinner, and may therefore be able to communicate with the Spinnereasily. Essentially the substitute spinner on the VisualizationAnnotation Application may be able to reverse engineer frame-by-framehot spot locations from the single placement on the simulated virtualmodel of the vehicle. Because of the commonalities between theannotation system and the Spinner, when the images are transferred tothe commercial website with the associated textboxes, each annotationmay appear to have one hot spot, reconstructed in the proper location onthe illusion the Spinner creates of a three-dimensional vehicle. Placinghot spots in the system may require an additional user interface whichoperates in conjunction with the virtual model to allow the annotator toeasily place location icons. One interpretation of this user interfacemay be of a targeting icon or reticle which may overlay the flash drivendigital model. An additional advantage of the Visual AnnotationApplication may be that the annotator may have immediate feedback on hisor her accuracy, since the input process is a visual one, with thereticle over the simulated model, and not just a text-based process ofassigning coordinates. In the final version of the digital model, thecustomer may access a certain annotation by selecting the hot spot iconon the vehicle, which may bring up the text box created previously rightbeside the icon. In the Interactive Tour, hot spot placement may be adefining organizational feature. Additionally, the system controls theframe and viewing magnification for the customer when selecting a hotspot on the public version of the virtual vehicle.

An additional consideration beyond just placing the location of anannotation on the vehicle may be determining how the customer views saidannotation. When a hot spot is selected on the Spinner or in theInteractive Tour, the viewing window for the customer may be adjusted togive the best vantage point to see the feature. The vertical angle atwhich the customer views the vehicle may be determined by the physicalplacement of the cameras when the frames were recorded. However theannotator may decide, based on how he or she may be viewing the vehiclewith the system, which of the 34 or more frames/horizontal angles thatmay be collected per vehicle to use as well as the magnification level.Again this selection process may be done almost automatically,represented by tools on the user interface. For example, the reticle maybe surrounded by one or more squares. Each of the many squares, whichexpand in size around a common center, may represent the portion of theframe that the customer may see when viewing the hot spot. When theannotator selects the desired square, he or she may in fact be selectingthe frame and magnification level in which to view the hot spot.Additionally, while the magnification boxes or squares may all bydefault be centered on the target icon, the boxes or squares may bemoved around the target reticle. Thus, the annotator may decide on whatportion of the magnified image the actual hot spot icon rests. It may bein the center, off center, or even in a far corner. It may just have tobe within the box. This may be especially advantageous if the specificfeature or imperfection the hot spot may be highlighting may beparticularly large, to a point where the default magnification andcentering process would only reveal a portion of the whole annotation tothe customer. Once clicked on, the icon itself may disappear so it doesnot obstruct the view of the specified feature or imperfection. Once theannotation may be assigned a locational hot spot on the vehicle andgiven an appropriate viewing size, the process may be largely complete.Once annotated, the annotator computing device may send the annotationsand/or annotated virtual display of the vehicle to the seller server,for example for use in a Spinner system associated with the seller'swebsite. Since the actual annotation locations may be placed using avery similar application of the Spinner system, there may be nosignificant issue in pushing the information created in thiscomplimentary system over to the Spinner system in order to be used init as well as the Interactive Tour system.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example Annotator's Interface-Exterior. This maybe what the annotator sees when using the Visual Annotation Application.Each individual photo taken of the vehicle may be displayed in a menuabove the flash application running modified version of the spinner Tothe left of the spinner window, there may be a list of the annotationsfor the vehicle. That list may be created on a separate page where theannotator creates new text boxes, each one with title and body text. Theannotator may select an annotation from that list and then place itscorresponding hot spot icon on the vehicle using the Spinner system.Placement may be done using a unique user interface feature. This may bevisible on the lower right corner of the Spinner display. The greentarget icon may be the tool the annotator uses to accurately place a hotspot icon. There may be three boxes surrounding the target or reticleicon. Two of the boxes may be grey, while one may be green. When theannotator places a hot spot via a mouse click, the box that ishighlighted green may represent the border of what will be visible forthe customer when viewing the hot spot on the final product.

FIG. 7 illustrates an Annotator's Interface-Interior. Just as theInterior Spinner may be a separate system from the Exterior Spinner onthe public website, the annotator may use a separate system within theVisual Annotation Application to mark the interior. Again the annotatormay select from a list of annotations made on the left, but as there mayonly be one interior image, there may be no image menu above the flashwindow. In terms of the actual user interface for the annotator, theremay be no magnification boxes to choose from. The placement icon orreticle may stay centered on the screen for the interior, whereas theexterior reticle may be movable by the user's mouse or similar device.Thus for the interior annotation process, the annotator may move thewhole image around with the mouse, lining up the reticle which may becentered in the viewing window on the particular feature orimperfection.

In an aspect, an interactive tour may provide one or more images of avehicle from multiple exterior and interior angles and map to a digitalspace to create a simulated 3-D representation of the actual vehicle ina digital environment that may be interacted with by a website user.

In an embodiment, exterior images of a vehicle may compose tiles, manymore than 16 for different angles and levels of magnification. Theexterior model may be spherical in shape with tiles placed over it.Software may track which tiles may be needed at any time based on theangle and magnification the customer is using. Only the tiles that maybe needed may be loaded at any one time, improving speed of operation.In an embodiment, the interior image may be measured for referencepoints, and then the flat image may be mapped into the interior of asphere to create the 3-D space for the interior. In an embodiment, thetile space closer to the horizon line may be shaped more like a square,while the tiles towards the bottom of the image may be more distorted inshape, with the lower edge shorter in length with respect to the upperedge. All tiles may be the same size in pixels, but may be manipulatedwhen they are converted into measures of degrees in order to create theillusion that the customer is looking at the inside surface of a sphere,which may be the best way to create the illusion of sitting in theinside of a vehicle for interior virtual displays.

In an embodiment, the annotated images of the vehicle may be used togenerate an Interactive Tour feature of a virtual display (or model) ofthe vehicle. The Interactive Tour may allow a customer to take a tour orclose inspection of a vehicle entirely on the seller's website orsimilar digital portal. In an embodiment, the systems and methods mayuse information from the Spinner in conjunction with the annotated hotspots created with the Visual Annotation Application. Essentially theInteractive Tour may allow a customer to view each annotated hot spot onthe three-dimensional, digital vehicle model as well as move between hotspots. This may be done by simply replacing one hot spot with the other,but that makes no use of the advantages offered by the Spinner Insteadthe Interactive Tour may comprise a method and system for generatingrealistic transitions from one annotation to another without a visibleinterruption to the virtual reality created by the Spinner Therefore,instead of simply jumping from one hot spot to another, the systems andmethods of the various embodiments may actually produce a smooth andcontrolled movement across multiple image frames while also adjustingmagnification levels so there may be no sudden change in what thecustomer may see. Natural movement may be simulated, as if the customerwhere physically walking from one point on the vehicle to another.

In an embodiment, one form of movement may comprise animating such thatthe transition from one hot spot to the next do not require any rotationof the digital model. In such a case the change in frames or theindividual photographs taken of the vehicle may be small. However, theremay still be significant magnification changes between the hot spots.Since it would be very disconcerting to the customer if the transitionwas performed at high magnification in an embodiment, the magnificationmay be reduced or “zoomed out,” to a point where most of the vehicle maybe visible in the spinner window on the website. This impliesmagnification may not have to drop off, but may approach only afractional increase to 1× magnification. Therefore, as the virtualcamera may move across pans over the vehicle, the animation system maybe dictating the speed and magnitude of the magnification changes.

The control system for the adjustment in magnification may be derivedfrom the mathematics of Bezier curves. A Bezier curve may be createdfrom a time-varying linear combination of control points, which may beused to define the range for the linear combination of certain Bernsteinpolynomials that define the curve. The basic equation may be:

$\sum\limits_{i = 0}^{n}{\begin{pmatrix}n \\i\end{pmatrix}\left( {1 - t} \right)^{n - i}\left( {t^{i} \star p_{i}} \right)}$

where n is the total number of control points P, with time t. In thisspecific case, a control point may correspond to a particularmagnification level at a certain time. The physical distance left orright from the starting control point may be a factor of time and maytherefore be represented in this equation as well.

Control points for the Bezier curves in this disclosure may correspondto certain points in time and magnification. The initial “zoom” level Z1may be the magnification used at the initial hot spot. This may alsocorresponds to Z0. The second hot spot may be the end point in theanimation process. The magnification level there may be Z4. In betweenthose two points any number of additional control points may bespecified. The minimum necessary may be four control points, or twoother time-magnification coordinates. This may be to insure reduction inmagnification far enough that the transition is not confusing. For thissituation, the Bezier equation may look like:

Z=(1−t)*(Z1+(t*(Z2−Z1)))+t*(Z3+(t*(Z4−Z3)))

where: t=time, 0 . . . 1; Z1=start zoom; Z4=end zoom; Z2=Z1−1 (if Z2<1,then Z2=1); and Z3=Z4−1 (if Z3<1, then Z3=1).

As time increases, the zoom level may change. The system may be designedso that the next control point may have a zoom level Z1 which may beequal to Z1 minus one level of magnification. Thus if Z1 is ×3magnification, then Z2 is ×3−×1=×2. Then at the time measurement (t3)corresponding to the third control point the zoom level Z3, which may beequal to Z4−1. The process may end at Z4 and its corresponding point intime. These may be the control points set at four specific points intime and magnification. These control points may then produce a curvewhich may dictate the dynamic rate of change in magnification for time.To the extent that the system knows it needs to be at the second hotspot in a certain period of time, the above curve may also dictate thehorizontal motion on the Spinner. The movement from Z2 to Z3 may happenmore quickly than the movement between Z1 to Z2 or the movement from Z3to Z4. To apply this from a mathematical perspective, time as it is usedin the Bezier equation may be treated as a non-linear entity. It may beeasier to assign regular time intervals to each Z value and thentransform time than to try and assign appropriately uneven timeintervals. There may be several transformations that may be done to datathat will accomplish this task. Of course in reality time will be movingat a constant rate, but the process may be operating in non-linear time,which may cause some steps in the process to appear to occur morequickly than other steps in the process. This may be done again toapproximate human movement in an artificial environment. When all ofthis may be put together, the system may have an animation program tomove from one hot spot to another within one frame of the ExteriorSpinner. However, there are other animations that may be performed.

When the movement from one hot spot to another requires moving the modelby multiple frames, or changing entire perspectives, then Bezier curvesmay or may not be employed and if they are then in certain, specificways. One consideration may be where the next hot spot lies with regardto the initial hot spot. If the simulated three-dimensional model has tobe rotated, meaning that multiple frames have to be crossed tofacilitate the change in the horizontal viewing angle, then a differentanimation may be performed. If the next hot spot lies in the interior ofthe vehicle, then a different animation system may be used. If the nexthot spot is still in the exterior, but is a part of the exterior modelwith all doors open then there may be an animation system for that.Finally, if the next hot spot is on the top-down view of the vehicle,there may be an animation system for that as well. Meanwhile there maybe a host of potential changes in magnification that may occur as well.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment method 800 for animating a virtualdisplay of a vehicle. In an embodiment, the operations of method 800 mayperformed by the seller server hosting a web site for selling a vehicleincluding a virtual tour. In block 802 the seller server may receive anindication of a selection of a next hot spot. In an embodiment, anindication of a selection of a next hot spot may be an indication of aclick on a hot spot by a customer viewing the vehicle in a virtual tour.In another embodiment, the indication of a selection of a next hot spotmay be an indication of a timer expiration for moving between hot spotsin an automatic virtual tour. In determination block 804 the sellerserver may determine whether the next hot spot is in the current framebeing displayed. If the next hot spot is in the current frame (i.e.,determination block 804=“Yes”), in block 806 Biezer curves may beapplied to transition to the next hot spot, for example using the Biezermodel described above. The method 800 may return to block 802 to receivethe next indication of a selection of a next hot spot.

If the next hot spot is not in the current frame (i.e., determinationblock 804=“No”), a transition to another frame/image may be required andin block 808 the seller server may zoom all the way out. Indetermination block 810 the seller server may determine whether thetransition to the next frame requires a switch from the exterior tointerior model. If the transition composes a switch from one of theexterior models to the interior model (i.e., determination block810=“Yes”), then seller server may rotate the display to the image/framewith the front passenger side window visible in block 812, where theviewer may then zoom in on the passenger side window. At the point wherea camera would hit the glass of the window (if there was a real camera),at block 814 the seller server may execute an exterior to interiortransition to use a stock transition to move into the vehicle interiorspinner. In block 816 the seller server may rotate the interior image tothe next hot spot. For example, the visible image may then rotate toface the target angle for the hot spot. If there is no hot spot, thenthe target angle may be the center of the front console.

If the next hot spot does not require a switch from an exterior view toan interior view (i.e., determination block 810=“No”), in determinationblock 818 the seller server may determine whether the next hot spotswitch is from an interior of the vehicle to an exterior frame. If thetransition is from interior to exterior (i.e., determination block818=“Yes”), in block 820 the seller server may rotate the interior imageto the driver's side window. In block 822 the seller server may executea transition from interior to exterior view of the vehicle. In anembodiment, the transition from exterior to interior or vice versa mayconstitute a functional change to a separate Spinner system of theseller server. In block 824 the seller server may rotate the frame tothe next hot spot and zoom on the next hot spot. If the next hot spotdoes not require an interior to exterior transition (i.e., determinationblock 818=“No”), in block 826 the seller server may rotate the view tothe frame for the next hot spot and zoom on the next hot spot.

In an embodiment, if a transition from or to a top-down image is needed,the seller server may employ a stock photographic transient such as across fade. In an embodiment, if the seller server is simplytransitioning within the Exterior Spinner, from the exterior-doors-opento the exterior-doors-closed, then the source image changes, but thesame view and the same position on the Spinner's horizontal axis may bemaintained.

In an embodiment, the transition to allow the doors to open or close maybe executed by spinning the vehicle 180°, changing the source image orview, and spinning 180° again to reach the same point on the vehicle itwas at before, except the exterior source images have changed so thevehicle may be being viewed with the doors and hatches at whateverposition they were not at prior to spinning the image. Once thisposition is reached, then the view may zoom in on the target hot spot.When Bezier curves are not being used, the steps performed above mayoverlap slightly so that one begins before the other may have finished.This may help to soften the changes from zooming to panning, rotating,or transitioning Therefore the parabolic path of the virtual cameracreated so elegantly by the Bezier curves may be approximated here bythis overlapping operation of separate, ordered, and regulated steps.

In an embodiment, when the seller server determines whether a transitionwill be involved somewhere, it may determine whether to reach the nextmagnification level if it has to zoom out or in. Whenever the system maybe zooming in, it may immediately allow the image to pan, or movelaterally to reach the target point. If the system requires a zoom out,that pan may be held until there is a command to zoom in.

The combination of the Bezier-based method with the logic systemexplained above may enable complete transversal of all hot spots on avehicle without an abrupt transition. If a customer were to transitionfrom the top-down view of the vehicle, there may be no actualphotographs to supply a smooth, motion simulated transition from thatviewing angle to the side-on view. Instead there may be a traditional,abrupt transition made from the top-down image to a side facing image.Similarly, when the customer performs the transition from the exteriormodel to the interior model or vice versa, there may be a visual shiftfrom an exterior shot of the window at extreme magnification to theinterior panorama oriented from the same window's perspective, but withno magnification. This may also be a significant technical shift as theentire digital constructions of the models differ. There may also be noreal visual transition available for use as there is no real camera thatmay pass through solid glass, which is the effect the customerexperiences when using the Interactive Tour. A cross-fade photographictransition program may be used to simulate the transition through thewindow's glass. Besides those two instances, the Interactive Tour may beable to take a customer through all of the annotations, beginning withthe hot spot placed closest to the exact front of the vehicle, andmoving through adjacent annotations one at a time in a consistentdirection. While the customer may also be able to highlight any featureor imperfection at will on the Spinner. In this manner, the InteractiveTour system may create a natural, easy to operate experience that givesan in-depth view with detailed explanations of the virtual display ofthe vehicle.

In another aspect, a three-dimensional model of inventory (e.g.,vehicles) may be presented on the website via a flash application. Theembodiment virtual displays of the vehicle (or model of the vehicle) maybe built from images recorded of the actual product itself. When usingthe online interface, a potential buyer or customer may be able to viewfrom multiple angles the exterior of the vehicle, as well as fullyexplore the interior.

FIG. 9 illustrates what the user (e.g., customer) may see when using theSpinner on the website. From this page the portion showing the vehiclemay be running on a flash application, which means the customer mayinteract with the image without loading a new webpage. The Spinner mayenable the customer to rotate the vehicle, as well as view it in any oneof three modes: exterior-doors-closed, exterior-doors-open, andinterior. The Spinner may create the illusion of three dimensions in theexterior by condensing a series of two-dimensional images along a singleX and Y plane, the order of the photos placed in such a way that movingin one direction on the x axis may make it appear as if the vehicle isrotating. For the interior model, a two-dimensional panoramic image inthe format of a Mercator projection may be converted from a photographmeasured in pixels to a Canvas measured in degrees, reformatting theimage onto a surface which may behave like a sphere but is in fact stillonly exists in three dimensions.

In an embodiment, the Spinner application may display the front image ofa vehicle. Important pieces of information about the vehicle, such asthe make, model, model year, sales price, and the mileage may bedisplayed consistently in the upper left hand corner of the Spinnerdisplay. On the upper right hand corner may be the link to start theInteractive Tour. This command button may disappear when the tour isstarted. Along the right side of the viewer, moving from top to bottommay be the buttons to select this exterior view, the exterior view withall doors, windows, and other hatches open, the interior view, thetop-down view, and a tab to modify the magnification. Magnification mayalso be adjusted directly from the input of certain devices, such as thescrolling wheel on the top of a computer mouse. Holding the left mousebutton and dragging the mouse may cause the image to move. The illusionof a real three-dimensional vehicle may rotate in the direction themouse is moving, either clockwise or counterclockwise. For the exteriorthere may be no vertical movement. The customer may also exit thisviewer at any time by a number of options, including selecting the“Details” tab, the “Financing Terms” tab, the Home button, or by hittingthe “Buy This Car” button. The customer may make note of hot spot iconson the surface of the vehicle. More of the hot spots may become visibleas the customer examines other angles of the vehicle. Clicking on a hotspot may bring up the annotation and initiate a short animation whichmay bring the customer's view from where they were to the pre-set viewof the annotation which may be established in the Visual AnnotationApplication. As an example, FIG. 10 illustrates a view of the right sideof a virtual display of the vehicle according to an embodiment, and FIG.11 illustrates a view of the rear section of the vehicle. The customermay view more angles, and there may be several more images that fill inthe incremental gaps between each of the previous figures.

FIG. 12 illustrates a view of the front of the vehicle with the doors,hood, trunk/hatchback/tailgate/cargo door open. Sunroofs may be openedas well if present. This may reveal additional visual detail to thecustomer as well as grant the customer access to new hot spots which mayonly visible when the doors and hatches are open. A common example wouldbe the Engine Specifications annotation, which may only visible when theengine is visible. The same universal user interface features may stillbe present. Notice the change in the vertical angle of the camera. Thismay be because a different camera was used to record these images of thevehicle. The exact angle may be chosen to optimize the results ofphotographing process. The same interaction rules for the customer mayapply here as did with the vehicle-exterior-closed.

FIG. 13 illustrates an Exterior outside Right Side View. This revealsmore details, both at the photographic level, for example may even seesome of the interior, but also from the perspective of new annotationswhich may be linked to those areas of the vehicle that have beenrevealed by opening up the doors and other hatches. As views change newvisual and potential annotation details may become available. Typicallycargo space information may be provided in a rear open view in the formof a hot spot.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of an Annotation-Feature. This may be theview the customer would see in the Spinner when beginning theInteractive Tour for this vehicle. The tour may be configured to startwith the hot spot located at the front of the vehicle, or the closestone to the exact front. Typically this may be either the EngineSpecifications or the Manufacturing Warranty (if available) as theannotator may tend to place those hot spots at the front of the vehicle.There may be no requirement though that this particular annotation hasto be the start of the tour. The tour may move from hot spot to hotspot, therefore the viewing angle and the information displayed aboutthe annotated item may be the same regardless if this is a stop on atour or if the customer manually selected the hot spot from free roamingon the Spinner. In fact, when a customer selects a hot spot, it ineffect may start the Interactive Tour system within the flash player,except starting at the customer specified hot spot as opposed to apre-selected starting hot spot. The customer may be able to move toanother hot spot by selecting either the “Previous” or “Next” buttonswhich will take him or her to the adjacent hot spot in the clockwise orcounterclockwise direction respectively. When a hot spot is selected,the information about the annotation may be displayed in agrey-translucent box. There may be a title informing if the annotationis a feature or an imperfection, as well as what the feature orimperfection may be. Additional information may be displayed under thetitle line in the text box. Otherwise the same user interface featuresavailable elsewhere in the Spinner may still be present. The customermay exit the hot spot by selecting the black “x” icon next to the titleof the annotation, or by manually decreasing the magnification, whichmay indicate to the Spinner the customer wants to return to a largerview of the vehicle.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of an Annotation-Imperfection. Forimperfections, the color and icon appearance of the hot spot may bedifferent. Also, imperfections may be described by a standardized scale.The full details about the scale may be listed on a separate webpage andmay be reached by clicking on the link apparent in the text box.Otherwise, the same user interface features that were present for theother type of annotation may be here as well, such as the “Previous” and“Next” tour buttons and the exit “x” icon. FIG. 16 illustrates anexample of another Annotation-Imperfection. Another example of adifferent imperfection. Notice the difference in the title of theimperfection as well as the customer angle the annotator created atwhich to view the hot spot in additional detail.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of an Annotation-Feature. This is anotherexample of an annotated feature for a vehicle. Features may not bedescribed relative to a standard scale. The annotator may offercustomized information for each feature for each vehicle. Whileconsistency dictates that most vehicles have the same categories offeatures: engine specifications, trim level, color schemes; there may beno automated system to populate those categories to meet the uniquecharacteristics that exist for every vehicle in the service provider'sinventory. The information may be individually researched and presented.How the annotation may be viewed may also be at the artistic digressionof the annotator.

FIG. 18 illustrates an Interior Front View. This may be the standardview presented to the customer when they enter the interior of thevehicle, which activates a specific animation procedure, which may bethe same one used when transitioning into the interior during theinteractive tour. There may be a slight curvature to the image. This maybe due to the unique properties of the Interior Spinner, which may be asimilar yet separate system from the Exterior Spinner. The interior maybe constructed of a single Mercator projection applied to thetwo-dimensional illusion of the inside surface of a sphere. The sameuser interface features that are present in the Exterior Spinner may beavailable here. The only addition here may be that the customer may beable to move vertically as well as horizontally over the simulatedthree-dimensional environment. Hot spots may be placed in the interioras well. FIG. 19 illustrates an example of an InteriorAnnotation-Feature. The user interface may be constructed as viewing afeature in the exterior model. FIG. 20 illustrates an Interior RearView. This may be the view for the customer looking out the back of thevehicle from the inside.

In an interior view there may be a white dot artificially imposed on theimage where the camera would record itself. This may be done forsecurity purposes. Besides the user interface icons and the hot spots,this may be the only digital augmentation made to the image; everythingelse the customer sees may be from real photographs. In some internalviews the control arm for the camera may be visible, but the cameraitself may be hidden.

In an embodiment, if the customer wishes, he or she may move verticallywithin the interior environment as well as horizontally. Thus, they maybe able to freely move to view either the floor or ceiling of thevehicle if desired. This may be in contrast with the Exterior Spinner,where the only way to view the vehicle from above may be to select thespecific Top-Down icon on the user interface of the Spinner Recordedfrom a special camera, the top-down image may be capable of beingrotated. It may be one image that the system rotates for the customer.This top down view may be accessible from the appropriate icon on theright side of the screen only.

The various embodiments may be implemented in any of a variety ofcomputing devices, such as a mobile computing device, an example ofwhich is illustrated in FIG. 21. For example, the mobile computingdevice 2100 may include a processor 2102 coupled to internal memories2104 and 2106. Internal memories 2104 and 2106 may be volatile ornon-volatile memories, and may also be secure and/or encrypted memories,or unsecure and/or unencrypted memories, or any combination thereof. Theprocessor 2102 may also be coupled to a touch screen display 2112, suchas a resistive-sensing touch screen, capacitive-sensing touch screen,infrared-sensing touch screen, or the like. Additionally, the display ofthe receiver device 2100 need not have touch screen capability. Thereceiver device 2100 may have one or more radio signal transceivers 2108(e.g., Peanut®, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, Wi-Fi, RF radio) and antennae 2110,for sending and receiving, coupled to each other and/or to the processor2102. The mobile computing device 2100 may include a cellular networkinterface, such as wireless modem chip 2116, that enables communicationvia a cellular data network (e.g., CDMA, TDMA, GSM, PCS, 3G, 4G, LTE, orany other type of cellular data network) and is coupled to the processor2102. The receiver device 2100 may include a peripheral deviceconnection interface 2118 coupled to the processor 2102. The peripheraldevice connection interface 2118 may be singularly configured to acceptone type of connection, or multiply configured to accept various typesof physical and communication connections, common or proprietary, suchas USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, or PCIe. The peripheral device connectioninterface 2118 may also be coupled to a similarly configured peripheraldevice connection port. The mobile computing device 2100 may alsoinclude speakers 2114 for providing audio outputs. The receiver device2100 may also include a housing 2120, constructed of a plastic, metal,or a combination of materials, for containing all or some of thecomponents discussed herein. The receiver device 2100 may include apower source 2122 coupled to the processor 3202, such as a disposable orrechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery may also be coupled tothe peripheral device connection port to receive a charging current froma source external to the mobile computing device 2100.

The various embodiments described above may also be implemented within avariety of computing devices, such as a laptop computer 2210 asillustrated in FIG. 22. Many laptop computers include a touch pad touchsurface 2217 that serves as the computer's pointing device, and thus mayreceive drag, scroll, and flick gestures similar to those implemented onmobile computing devices equipped with a touch screen display anddescribed above. A laptop computer 2210 will typically include aprocessor 2211 coupled to volatile memory 2212 and a large capacitynonvolatile memory, such as a disk drive 2213 of Flash memory. Thelaptop computer 2210 may also include a floppy disc drive 2214 and acompact disc (CD) drive 2215 coupled to the processor 2211. The laptopcomputer 2210 may also include a number of connector ports coupled tothe processor 2211 for establishing data connections or receivingexternal memory devices, such as a USB or FireWire® connector sockets,or other network connection circuits (e.g., interfaces) for coupling theprocessor 2211 to a network. In a notebook configuration, the computerhousing may include the touchpad 2217, the keyboard 2218, and thedisplay 2219 all coupled to the processor 2211. Other configurations ofthe computing device may include a computer mouse or trackball coupledto the processor (e.g., via a USB input) as are well known, which mayalso be use in conjunction with the various embodiments.

The various embodiments described above may also be implemented within avariety of computing devices, such as a desktop computer 2300 asillustrated in FIG. 23. A desktop computer 2300 will typically include aprocessor 2301 coupled to volatile memory 2302 and a large capacitynonvolatile memory, such as a disk drive 2304 of Flash memory. Thedesktop computer 2300 may also include a floppy disc drive 2305 and acompact disc (CD) drive 2303 coupled to the processor 2701. The desktopcomputer 2300 may also include a number of connector ports 2306 coupledto the processor 2301 for establishing data connections or receivingexternal memory devices, such as a USB or FireWire® connector sockets,or other network connection circuits (e.g., interfaces) for coupling theprocessor 2311 to a network. Additionally, a keyboard 2308, mouse 2307,and display 2319 may all be coupled to the processor 2301.

The various embodiments may also be implemented on any of a variety ofcommercially available server devices, such as the server 2400illustrated in FIG. 24. Such a server 2400 typically includes aprocessor 2401 coupled to volatile memory 2402 and a large capacitynonvolatile memory, such as a disk drive 2403. The server 2400 may alsoinclude a floppy disc drive, compact disc (CD) or DVD disc drive 2406coupled to the processor 2401. The server 2400 may also include networkaccess ports 2404 (network interfaces) coupled to the processor 2401 forestablishing network interface connections with a network 2407, such asa local area network coupled to other computers and servers, theInternet, the public switched telephone network, and/or a cellular datanetwork (e.g., CDMA, TDMA, GSM, PCS, 3G, 4G, LTE, or any other type ofcellular data network).

The processors 2102, 2211, 2301, and 2401 may be any programmablemicroprocessor, microcomputer or multiple processor chip or chips thatcan be configured by software instructions (applications) to perform avariety of functions, including the functions of the various embodimentsdescribed above. In some devices, multiple processors may be provided,such as one processor dedicated to wireless communication functions andone processor dedicated to running other applications. Typically,software applications may be stored in the internal memory 2104, 2106,2212, 2213, 2302, 2304, 2402, and 2403 before they are accessed andloaded into the processors 2102, 2211, 2301, and 2401. The processors2102, 2211, 2301, and 2401 may include internal memory sufficient tostore the application software instructions. In many devices theinternal memory may be a volatile or nonvolatile memory, such as flashmemory, or a mixture of both. For the purposes of this description, ageneral reference to memory refers to memory accessible by theprocessors 2102, 2211, 2301, and 2401 including internal memory orremovable memory plugged into the device and memory within the processor2102, 2211, 2301, and 2401 themselves.

The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams areprovided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to requireor imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed inthe order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the artthe order of steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in anyorder. Words such as “thereafter,” “then,” “next,” etc. are not intendedto limit the order of the steps; these words are simply used to guidethe reader through the description of the methods. Further, anyreference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using thearticles “a,” “an” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting theelement to the singular.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, andalgorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, orcombinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentinvention.

The hardware used to implement the various illustrative logics, logicalblocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspectsdisclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purposeprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) orother programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor maybe a microprocessor, but, in the alternative, the processor may be anyconventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine Aprocessor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices,e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSPcore, or any other such configuration. Alternatively, some steps ormethods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a givenfunction.

In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or moreinstructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable medium ornon-transitory processor-readable medium. The steps of a method oralgorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in a processor-executablesoftware module which may reside on a non-transitory computer-readableor processor-readable storage medium. Non-transitory computer-readableor processor-readable storage media may be any storage media that may beaccessed by a computer or a processor. By way of example but notlimitation, such non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readablemedia may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, FLASH memory, CD-ROM or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storagedevices, or any other medium that may be used to store desired programcode in the form of instructions or data structures and that may beaccessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compactdisc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD),floppy disk, and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce datamagnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above are also included within the scope ofnon-transitory computer-readable and processor-readable media.Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as oneor any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on anon-transitory processor-readable medium and/or computer-readablemedium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the presentinvention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to beaccorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and theprinciples and novel features disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An item imaging system, comprising: an imagecapture area, comprising: an outer structure; at least one light; and atleast one camera; and a processor connected to the at least one camera,wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable,instructions to perform operations comprising: controlling the at leastone camera to capture one or more images of an item; and sending the oneor more images to a server to be displayed in a virtual display of theitem.
 2. The item imaging system of claim 1, wherein: the image capturearea is a roundhouse comprising a turntable centered within the outerstructure and connected to the processor; the outer structure is a dome;the at least one light comprises a plurality of lights configured toindirectly illuminate the item; the at least one camera comprises afirst camera, a second camera, and a third camera, wherein each of thefirst camera, second camera, and third camera is configured to captureimages of the item from a different angle; the processor is configuredwith processor executable instructions to control the plurality oflights and the turntable to rotate the item on the turntable andilluminate the item as one or more of the three cameras capture imagesof the item.
 3. The item imaging system of claim 2, wherein: theplurality of lights comprises fifty or more lights; the first camera ismounted in the dome centered above the turntable; the second camera ismounted in a lower portion of the dome; the third camera is mounted in aportion of the dome between the first and second cameras; and theroundhouse further comprises a raised barrier between the turntable andthe fifty or more lights configured to screen the fifty or more lightsfrom the first camera, second camera, and third camera.
 4. The itemimaging system of claim 3, wherein the item is a vehicle.
 5. The itemimaging system of claim 1, wherein: the image capture area is a hot box;the at least one light comprises a plurality of lights configured toindirectly illuminate the item; the at least one camera is a panoramiccamera; the hot box further comprises: a lift configured to adjust aheight of the item; and an arm connected to the panoramic camera andconfigured to support the panoramic camera and extend the panoramiccamera into an interior space of the item; and the processor isconfigured with processor executable instructions such that controllingthe at least one camera to capture one or more images of an itemcomprises controlling the panoramic camera to capture a three hundredand sixty degree image of the interior space of the item.
 6. The itemimaging system of claim 5, wherein the item is a vehicle.
 7. A methodfor generating a virtual display of an item, comprising: receiving, in aserver, a series of images of an exterior of the item; receiving, in theserver, a series of annotations of the images of the exterior of theitem; and sending, from the server, the series of annotations of theimages and the images of the exterior of the item to be displayed at aconsumer's computing device.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein theimages of the exterior of the item are from a roundhouse.
 9. The methodof claim 8, wherein the roundhouse comprises: an Outer structure; afirst plurality of lights configured to indirectly illuminate the item;three cameras each configured to capture images of the item from adifferent angle; and a turntable centered within the outer structure;the method further comprising: controlling the three cameras, the firstplurality of lights, and turntable to capture the series of images ofthe exterior of the item; and sending the series of images of theexterior of the item to the server.
 10. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising: receiving a series of images of an interior of the item; andsending, from the server, the images of the interior of the item to bedisplayed at the consumer's computing device.
 11. The method of claim10, wherein the images of the interior of the item are from a hot box.12. The method of claim 11, wherein the hot box comprises: a pluralityof lights configured to indirectly illuminate the item; a panoramiccamera; a lift configured to adjust a height of the item; and an armconnected to the panoramic camera and configured to support thepanoramic camera and extend the panoramic camera into an interior spaceof the item; and the method further comprising: controlling thepanoramic camera to capture the series of images of the interior of theitem; and sending the series of images of the interior of the item tothe server.
 13. The method of claim 7, further comprising: receiving, inthe server, a selection of a next annotation of the series ofannotations of the images.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising sending, from the server, an animation to transition todisplaying the selected next annotation of the series of annotations ofthe images at the consumer's computing device in response to receivingthe selection of the next annotation of the series of annotations. 15.The method of claim 14, wherein the item is a car.
 16. The method ofclaim 14, wherein sending, via the server, an animation to transition todisplaying the selected next annotation of the series of annotations ofthe images in response to receiving the selection of the next annotationof the series of annotations includes one or more of generating ananimation using Bezier curves, generating an animation transitioningbetween one of the series of images of the exterior of the item and oneof the series of images of the interior of the item, and generating ananimation transitioning from one of the series of images of the exteriorof the item to another one of the series of the images of the exteriorof the item.
 17. A system for hosting a virtual display of an itemcomprising: a server, comprising: a processor, wherein the processor isconfigured with processor-executable instructions to perform operationscomprising: receiving a series of images of an exterior of the item;receiving a series of annotations of the images of the exterior of theitem; and sending the series of annotations of the images and the imagesof the exterior of the item to a consumer's computing device for displayin a virtual display.
 18. The system of claim 17, further comprising aroundhouse, wherein the images of the exterior of the item are receivedfrom the roundhouse.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the roundhousecomprises: an outer structure; a first plurality of lights configured toindirectly illuminate the item; three cameras each configured to captureimages of the item from a different angle; a turntable centered withinthe outer structure; and a second processor connected to the firstplurality of lights, the three cameras, wherein the second processor isconfigured with processor-executable instructions to perform operationscomprising: controlling the three cameras, the first plurality oflights, and the turntable to capture the series of images of theexterior of the item; and sending the series of images of the exteriorof the item to the server.
 20. The system of claim 17, wherein theprocessor is configured with processor-executable instructions toperform operations further comprising: receiving a series of images ofan interior of the item; and sending the images of the interior of theitem to the consumer's computing device for display in the virtualdisplay.
 21. The system of claim 20, further comprising a hot box,wherein the images of the interior of the item are received from the hotbox.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the hot box comprises: aplurality of lights configured to indirectly illuminate the item; apanoramic camera; a lift configured to adjust a height of the item; andan arm connected to the panoramic camera and configured to support thepanoramic camera and extend the panoramic camera into an interior spaceof the item; and a third processor connected to the panoramic camera,wherein the third processor is configured with processor-executableinstructions to perform operations comprising: controlling the panoramiccamera to capture the series of images of the interior of the item; andsending the series of images of the interior of the item to the server.23. The system of claim 17, Wherein the processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions to perform operations furthercomprising: receiving a selection of a next annotation of the series ofannotations of the images.
 24. The system of claim 23, wherein theprocessor is configured with processor-executable instructions toperform operations further comprising sending an animation to transitionto displaying the selected next annotation of the series of annotationsof the images at the consumer's computing device in response toreceiving the selection of the next annotation of the series ofannotations.
 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the processor isconfigured with processor-executable instructions to perform operationssuch that sending an animation to transition to displaying the selectednext annotation of the series of annotations of the images at theconsumer's computing device in response to receiving the selection ofthe next annotation of the series of annotations includes one or more ofgenerating an animation using Bezier curves, generating an animationtransitioning between one of the series of images of the exterior of theitem and one of the series of images of the interior of the item, andgenerating an animation transitioning from one of the series of imagesof the exterior of the item to another one of the series of the imagesof the exterior of the item.
 26. A system for hosting a virtual displayof an item, comprising: a server, comprising: means for receiving aseries of images of an exterior of the item from a roundhouse; means forreceiving a series of images of an interior of the item from a hot box;means for receiving a series of annotations of the images of theexterior of the item and the images of the interior of the item via thenetwork interface; and means for sending the series of annotations ofthe images, the images of the exterior of the item, and the images ofthe interior of the item to a consumer's computing device for display ina virtual display.
 27. The system of claim 26, further comprising: meansfor receiving a selection of a next annotation of the series ofannotations of the images; and means for sending an animation totransition to displaying the selected next annotation of the series ofannotations of the images at the consumer's computing device in responseto receiving the selection of the next annotation of the series ofannotations.
 28. The system of claim 27, wherein the system furthercomprises the roundhouse comprising: means for rotating the item; meansfor capture the series of images of the exterior of the item; and meansfor sending the series of images of the exterior of the item to theserver.
 29. The system of claim 28, wherein the system further comprisesthe hot box comprising: means for capturing the series of images of theinterior of the item; and means for sending the series of images of theinterior of the item to the server.
 30. The system of claim 29, whereinmeans for sending an animation to transition to displaying the selectednext annotation of the series of annotations of the images at theconsumer's computing device in response to receiving the selection ofthe next annotation of the series of annotations includes one or more ofmeans for generating an animation using Bezier curves, means forgenerating an animation transitioning between one of the series ofimages of the exterior of the item and one of the series of images ofthe interior of the item, and means for generating an animationtransitioning from one of the series of images of the exterior of theitem to another one of the series of the images of the exterior of theitem.
 31. A non-transitory processor readable medium having storedthereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause aprocessor to perform operations comprising: receiving a series of imagesof an exterior of the item from a roundhouse; receiving a series ofimages of an interior of the item from a hot box; receiving a series ofannotations of the images of the exterior of the item and the images ofthe interior of the item; sending the series of annotations of theimages, the images of the exterior of the item, and the images of theinterior of the item to a consumer's computing device for display in avirtual display; receiving a selection of a next annotation of theseries of annotations of the images; and sending an animation totransition to displaying the selected next annotation of the series ofannotations of the images at the consumer's computing device in responseto receiving the selection of the next annotation of the series ofannotations.
 32. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim31, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configuredto cause a processor to perform operations such that sending ananimation to transition to displaying the selected next annotation ofthe series of annotations of the images at the consumer's computingdevice in response to receiving the selection of the next annotation ofthe series of annotations includes one or more of generating ananimation using Bezier curves, generating an animation transitioningbetween one of the series of images of the exterior of the item and oneof the series of images of the interior of the item, and generating ananimation transitioning from one of the series of images of the exteriorof the item to another one of the series of the images of the exteriorof the item.